APRI KUSBIANTORO

 

Apri Kusbiantoro, born on April 21, 1976, in Selong on the Indonesian island of Lombok, had published various works in Indonesia since 1995 through Balai Pustaka and Harian Jogja. In 2003, he co-founded Urak-Urek, a studio specializing in advertising. In 2005, he graduated from the Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta and now works as a 2D and 3D animator. Between 2014 and 2019, Apri created the comic strip Lemuria together with the Dutch writer Sytse Algera. Between 2018 and 2022, Apri collaborated with the Dutch writer Willem Ritsier on three volumes of the comic strip Saul. In 2024, Apri created the comic strip Storm: The Chronicles of Interlude – The Space of Small together with Dutch writer Martin Lodewijk, while his sketch album Looking for Storm was also released in the same year. In 2025, together with writer Fajar Nugros, he created the two-aprt comic series Elang Jawa: The Robbers of Pasar Setan and together with the Dutch writer Robbert Damen, the comic Storm: The Chronicles of the Outer Ring – The Maotusauri Armada. Perry spoke with Apri Kusbiantoro for an interview for the website.

 

001.How did your love for comics begin?

       I don’t remember exactly. But I think that, because I can’t read well, my love for comics started by appreciating the drawings. As a child, I read a lot of

       comics. Besides a few local comics, my childhood was filled with many Indonesian translations of European comics. I remember my parents  buying

       me the British comic Fishboy: Denizen of the Deep and the Dutch comics Arad and Maya. In addition, my older brother also collected a number of

       early editions of the comic Storm. I think that all the comic books I have seen so far have contributed to the development of my skills. But I must say,

       the work of Don Lawrence really made an impression on me.

002.At which moment in your career are you most proud and/or do you have the best memories so far?

       I entered the European comic industry in 2014 by the comic Lemuria, for which I created three albums with Sytse Algera. That was perhaps my most

       important learnig experience. A highlight of my career was the collaboration with Martin Lodewijk on the comic Storm: The Chonicles of Interim – The

       Space of Small from 2014. I am also proud of the Introduction of the two-part comic Elang Jawa: The Robbers of Pasar Setan from 2025 to the

       European market. I created this together with Fajar Nugros, and this marks an important new milestone in my professional career.

003.How do you look back on the comic Saul?

       I think working on the comic Saul is amazing. I promised myself I would finish this series. I saw Willem (Ritsier, ed.) as the writer of the comic Storm:

       Chronicles of the Outer Ring – The Exile of Thoem from 2011 (which he created with artist Minck Oosterveer, ed.). Before, that, I didn’t know his

       career. I got to know him personally after I had worked with him on the comic Saul. The first time I met him was during Heroes Dutch Comic Con in

       Utrecht in 2018. Willem has now finished more than half of the fourth volume of the comic Saul. However, due to my contracts with other publishers

       and series, I had to put the comic Saul aside for a while. I naturally discussed this with Willem and the publisher of the comic Saul.

004.In 2024, you created the comic Storm: The Chronicles of the Interlude – The Space of Small together with Martin Lodewijk. What was it like

       working with Martin Lodewijk?

       Working with Martin (Lodewijk, ed.) is no easy task. At least, not for me. He has his own vision, while I myself have a slightly different perspective on

       the series. But that is precisely what made the collaboration so exciting. I must say that I also learned a lot from him. I am proud that I once worked

       with him. If I ever get to work with Martin again, I would gladly do so. Martin lives in the Netherlands and I in Indonesia, but we now live in the internet

       age, where communication is no longer a major problem. We only have to take the 5 – 6 hour time difference into account. As far as I can see being

       in different parts of the world is no longer a problem.  I collaborated with writer Robbert Damen on the comic Storm: The Chronicles of the Outer Ring

       – The Maotuauri Armada. It was different with Martin and Robbert. For instance, Martin worked at a more relaxed pace. Although he didn’t make a

       sketch for every page and every panel, he was very strict in his version. I could only make a few suggestions fort he pages we created together. With

       Robbert, it was different. He made clear sketches for every page and every panel, but was very open to suggestions. He could be a bit of a joker. He

       would ask what I didn’t like drawing and as soon as he had my answer, he would put exactly those things into the script! Haha…but I actually liked

       that.

005.Together with the Indonesian Fajar Nugros, you are creating the comic Elang Jawa. Is working on a comic different when you live in the

       same country?

       It is easier to communicate with someone who speaks the same nationality and language as me. During production, we discussed and improved the

       comic together. Fajar is actually a film director, and various aspects of filmmaking do not differ that much from those of comics. Fajar came up with

       the idea, and then came to me and offered the colllaboration. Since Fajar is actually a film director, there are many possibilities for the comic to be

       adapted into a film someday.

006.What can we expect from you in the future?

       There are a few things in the pipeline, but unfortunately, I am not allowed to say anything about them.

 

Interview: Perry Krootjes